Stumbling Hearts
by CharmingEyes
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on Gaius and Sumia! The first time they met, they were enemies; he was just trying to put bread on the table, she was fighting to protect the Exalt. Gaius had no idea of the specifics of the mission, other than breaking into the royal castle. He never expected to meet the Shepherds, let alone the love of his life. Ch 4: Unbreakable
1. Introductions

**Alright, so this is my first Fire Emblem Awakening fic so if any of the characters mentioned are out of character, please let me know! It's also my first time back writing fanfiction since I never finished my Yuffentine one about 4 years ago now I believe. If any of the followers of that story see this, please know that I am very sorry but I don't know if I'll ever continue that one again! I just don't have much inspiration for something that I started before I was even in high school. Being in university now, hopefully my writing has improved a lot more ^^**

**Anyways so this fic will be inspired by a list of prompts that I found online. The chapters will be drabbles or one shots depending on how inspired I am for each prompt. They will all be in the same universe, and if any of them continue off of each other, I will let you guys know. I'll try to take requests for prompts if anyone has any but I can't guarantee they will always be done.**

**So yeah just writing this fic because I am so severely disappointed in the lack of GaiSumi on the internet because they are my absolute OTP right now in FE:A. Hopefully you'll like it too : )**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FE:A or any of the characters. But if I did, Gaius x Sumia would be canon and not Chrom x Sumia (just saying).**

**On to the story!**

**1\. Introduction**

* * *

The first time they met, they were enemies; he was just trying to put bread on the table, while she was fighting to protect the Exalt. Gaius had no idea of the specifics of the mission, other than breaking into the royal castle. He never expected to meet the Shepherds, let alone the love of his life.

* * *

Gaius was close to the top floor where the target was supposed to be, when he noticed the assassins creeping along in the shadows around him. Seeing them dragged a long forgotten memory to the forefront of his mind of the few friends he had growing up on the streets. He remembered the day that they had turned their backs on him because he refused to give up his morals and join them as hired assassins, no matter how sweet the pay was. It was also at that moment that he realized that the mission wasn't a simple heist. When he opened that door, he knew that the Exalt would be killed.

Biting down hard on the lollipop stick he had in his mouth, Gaius tried to think of a way out of the situation. He was never much of a fighter; thievery was his forte and it wouldn't be ideal to have scars on his handsome face. He reasoned that there was no way that he would be able to take out the two assassins he counted, at least not in a fair fight.

As they continued down the corridor, Gaius suddenly heard the sound of metal clashing against metal and knew that there was a battle going on just around the corner. As he was peeking around the wall, he noted the assassins doing so as well. _Probably sizing up their chances of swooping in and getting some easy kills…_ he thought disdainfully. _Now's my chance to give them the slip._ With feline-like grace, the thief blended back into the shadows and silently made his way through the corridors. _I've already come this far, might as well try to find something of value… Maybe I'll luck out and find the kitchen. They're bound to have something sweet to eat,_ he thought. Distracted by thoughts of cakes, pies and other sweet, sweet pastries, Gaius didn't see it coming. **BAM!** "Ngh..!" he grunted and clutched at his head as his vision began to blur and he felt blood trickle out of his nose.

* * *

Sumia was in the library when the attackers invaded the castle. Her duty was to protect the Exalt at all costs, but without her Pegasus or a weapon she was just about useless. She ran down the hall in hopes of finding a supply closet or anything she could use to defend herself with. Hearing the sounds of battle not far from her, she tried to be as quiet as possible so the enemies wouldn't find her, but her boots kept clunking hard on the floor. Panicked, she reached down and pulled one off of her foot, causing a moment of imbalance and the next thing she knew, she was flat on her face. "Owie…" she mumbled, but quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, hoping to Naga that no one had heard her. Peeling herself off of the floor, she carefully undid the straps of her other boot and slid it off as well. She briefly debated on leaving the blasted boots behind before deciding to take them with her. _If I don't find a weapon, I can at least try to chuck these bricks at the enemy!_

Running full speed down the hall, Sumia thought it was a miracle that she hadn't tripped yet and was about to come to the conclusion that it_ had_ been those damned boots all along, when her toe caught on a tile that was sticking up higher than the rest of the floor. _I can't believe I just jinxed it! How stupid can I be!_ she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the impact she knew was about to come. She felt her head collide with something hard, but it didn't feel like the familiar surface of the floor that she had become so acquainted with. "Ngh..!" Upon hearing the pained grunt, she looked up and saw an unfamiliar young man with fiery orange hair clutching his head before he tumbled to the ground unconscious.

Rubbing her forehead, her eyes widened when she realized what had happened. _I think I headbutted him!_ she gasped. Sumia quickly scanned her surroundings and saw a supply closet right across the hall. Crawling towards it, she pulled out a spear and made her way back to the unconscious man. She studied his facial features and blushed a deep shade of red as she realized how attractive this man was. _His eyelashes are so long, his skin is so smooth, his nose is… bleeding?_ She absentmindedly reached a hand down and was about to brush the hair off of his forehead when he started groaning. She quickly jumped back and readied her weapon. _What was I thinking? We're in the middle of battle! This man is the enemy!_

* * *

As he came to, his eyes focused on the prettiest girl he had ever laid his eyes on. He was about to get up when he noticed that she was blushing as she held up a spear to his chest with trembling fingers. He wiped at the warmth he felt above his lip and cursed as he discovered the blood. Pinching his nose, he glanced at the girl again. Her clothes were in a severely disheveled state, not to mention the fact that she was missing her shoes and was shaking like a leaf. With a deep sigh, he decided that now was as good a time as any to start on a more righteous career path. _It's either that, or I could be skewered like a marshmallow by this lovely lady. She looks like a noble… maybe she'll put in good word for me with the head honcho around here if I help her to safety._ he thought as he realized she had his life in her hands either way.

"Hey there. I know what this looks like, but I'm not here to hurt anyone alright?" he drawled, holding his free hand up in surrender. "I'm only here to open some doors, I had no idea this was an assassination."

He saw the look of uncertainty that crossed her face before they both heard light footsteps nearby. She tore her eyes away from him just for a moment to look down the hall and he took the opportunity to push the spear away and grab her. Covering her mouth, he pulled her down the hall and picked the lock to an empty room. He hid with her behind the door and spying a closet in the corner of the room, he moved towards it and shoved her inside. "Stay in there and don't come out until I say it's safe." He shut the closet door before she could nod her head.

Moving quietly, he put his ear to the door and listened for the footsteps again. He soon heard them and they were closing in on their position. Gaius backed away from the door quickly and hid in the shadows, hoping that even if their hiding spot was discovered, he would at least have the advantage of surprise. In a matter of seconds, the door was pushed open and two figures slinked in. Gaius immediately recognized them as the two assassins that had been tailing him through the castle. _This is bad,_ he thought as he mulled over his options. _One, I could join back up with them and just continue with the mission. I'll just say I got lost or somethin'. At least that way, I won't be sliced and diced and the girl hopefully won't be discovered. Two, I could—,_ His train of thought was interrupted as the girl tumbled out of the closet.

* * *

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," said one of the assassins as they closed in on Sumia, who had face planted into the ground yet again with her behind in the air. "A perfectly shaped backside presented to us as a reward for having to deal with the disappearing thief."

Sumia picked herself up and backed into the corner of the room, her spear at the ready. "Stay away from me, brigands!" she shouted in a voice that sounded way more confident than she felt at the moment.

Even with the sharp spear in her hands, the assassins continued to advance on her with devious grins on their faces. One got too close and Sumia stabbed at him with her weapon. The man moved out of the way and grabbed the spear, tossing it aside. "What are you going to do now, girlie? Cry? Scream? Go ahead, no one is going to hear you," they laughed sinisterly as she flattened herself against the wall.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed for a miracle to save her when she heard a sharp intake of breath and a thud to her right. Opening her eyes, she glanced into the unseeing eyes of one of the men and looked up. The mysterious man who dragged her into this room was standing protectively over her as he glared at the other man.

* * *

The assassin laughed cruelly as he observed the scene before him. "You think you can beat me, thief? Sure you may have been able to off that idiot," he said, motioning at the dead man with his chin. "But there is no way in hell you'll be able to kill me that easily." With that, the assassin lunged at Gaius, who met him head on with his own sword, effectively blocking him.

They fought for what felt like hours to Gaius, and he knew he was losing by the amount of injuries he had sustained, although he noted that none of them were quite lethal enough to kill him. _The bastard's toying with me. He's going to make it a slow death,_ he thought as he gritted his teeth and parried another blow that was aimed at his ribs. Just as he was about to be overpowered, a spear whizzed past Gaius's head and was imbedded into the assassin's shoulder. He felt a gust of air blow past him as the girl he was protecting ran up and yanked the spear out of the assassin and slashed him across the back. They had both been too preoccupied with their fight that neither of them had noticed her picking up the spear. Gaius took the momentary stall in combat as an opportunity to finish the assassin off, knocking him unconscious with the butt of his blade.

With a sigh of relief, Gaius quickly took inventory of himself and his candy. He had been on the receiving end of quite a few slashes from the assassin, but he was pleased to discover that only a handful of them were a cause for concern. He did however discover a gash on his eyebrow and grumbled in dismay. _This better not scar. _Quickly applying a vulnary to the wounds, he popped a colourful piece of candy into his mouth and observed the beauty in front of him.

"Crivens girl, if I knew you could fight like that, then maybe I wouldn't have shoved you into that closet—sorry about that by the way. Anyways, thanks… uh…"

"Sumia," she replied with a shy smile. "Thank _you_ for not leaving and saving me from them," she motioned to the two men sprawled out on the floor.

"No problem. I told ya I wasn't here to hurt anyone," he smirked and put his hands behind his head "Now that I saved you and all, do you think you could get me in with your boss? I think my days of thieving for the bad guys are officially over. I've had one too many bad experiences with bastards like these," he emphasized by kicking the unconscious man in the leg.

"Of course! We just have to get to—oh no! We have to protect the Exalt!" Sumia was about to dash out of the room when Gaius caught her by the arm.

"Hey, hey, hang on there. I'm supposed to be the one to open the door to the Exalt's chambers. They ain't getting in there without me, so you can calm down for now. Besides, these two were the only assassins I know of. If it makes you feel better, we'll make our way over there as soon as I tie this one up, alright?"

"O-okay, I guess," she stuttered as she felt his grip on her arm loosen. "H-hang on, I still don't know your name!"

"Who me? I'm Gaius, but you can call me stud," he winked at her.

She felt the heat creep up her cheeks and before she knew it, she was blushing three shades of red. She wouldn't have been surprised if he saw steam coming out of her ears at that point. "I-I-I… I think I'll stick with calling you G-Gaius for now… Did I pronounce that right?"

"Sure did, sugar. Sounds like music to my ears," he smirked as he watched her turn an even deeper shade of red and avert her gaze. As he began to tie up the assassin, he remembered something. "Oh, by the way. What happened when I passed out earlier? It all happened so fast, but I didn't have any wounds from before except a throbbing head. What exactly did you do to me?"

"Well, um, you see, about that… haha… you probably won't believe it but… I TRIPPED AND FELL INTO YOU!" she burst out. "Well not really fell, more like headbutted, but I'M SO SORRY! It's just that I fall a lot, and I guess that it's given me an iron-clad skull since I'm so used to falling on my face. My stupid head must have been like a cannonball to your head! Oh Naga, I hope you don't have a concussion!" she grabbed his head and checked for any bruises or wounds that she might have caused with her Iron Skull. "Oh Gaius, your eyebrow…" She brushed her fingers over the fresh wound. She had noticed before when she had been studying him up close that his face was void of any imperfections, including scars.

"It's nothing," he shrugged her off and continued with his work. "If it does scar, then all I can say is that you're the only girl that I'll ever scar my handsome face for," he turned to her and offered her a lopsided grin, at which she felt her cheeks darken once again. "So you headbutted me, eh? I never thought that I could be brought down like that," at this he chuckled. "How did you fall?"

"Um… usually I trip over my own feet or over nothing at all. I guess this time, I stumbled over the only tile in the whole castle that isn't level with the rest of the floor."

"Stumbled, eh? I think I like that…" he mumbled to himself. "I hereby dub thee, Stumbles!" he grinned at her just as he finished tying the assassin up. "Now how about we get to protecting the Exalt?"

"S-S-Stumbles?!"

"Would you rather I call you Stutters? Nah, Stumbles sounds way better. Now let's go!" he grabbed her hand and began the trek to the Exalt's chambers. The whole way, Sumia could only blush as she observed how he unconsciously twined their fingers together.

* * *

**Well... How was it? *aggressively hides from the hate***

**Please R&amp;R to let me know if this little project is worth continuing! Again, sorry if they seem out of character lol**


	2. Complicated

**This chapter was a little bit harder to write because I couldn't decide how I wanted it to go. I initially started it with a darker theme and angsty Gaius in mind, but his sweeter side (no pun intended) came out instead lol. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**I also wanted to thank all of you who have read the story so far. I also wanted to thank Gunlord500 for the review, it meant a lot that someone actually likes my writing lol :)**

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Over the weeks, Sumia's curiosity about the thief tended to get the better of her as she got to know him. He was always so calm and collected. Nothing ever seemed to shake him unless his precious candy stash was threatened. He never seemed to have a care in the world besides tending to that sweet tooth of his. Gaius was a complete mystery to her. She couldn't figure out if his carefree attitude was just the way he was, or if it was just a façade he put up because he didn't feel like he could fully trust any of them yet.

One afternoon, she was taking a walk through town when she spotted someone quite familiar eyeing a local bakery. If the fiery orange hair wasn't a dead giveaway as to who it was, then the fact that he was drooling as he pressed his face against the shop's window would do it. "Gaius!" she called. "What are you doing?"

He waved her over and brought her face close to the glass so she could see what had his undivided attention. "Look at all of these pastries! They're calling out to me! I must have these babies all to myself!"

"Wow! I haven't seen pastries this beautiful in a while," she muttered to herself as she eyed a layered cake with pink frosting. "But these must cost a fortune, especially in these times."

"Um, hello? Have you forgotten what I did for a living before I met you, Stumbles?" he dismissed her last comment with a wave of his hand. "It will be a piece of cake to swipe a few of these, hehe get it? Piece of cake? 'Cause I'm about to snatch myself a few of those delicacies for myself. I can grab one for you too if you want."

"No! Gaius, you said you wanted to put your skills to good use serving Chrom and Ylisse! You can't just steal from these people that are trying to make an honest living!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around one of his and attempted to drag him away from the window.

"What can I say, old habits die hard. Lemme go! If you don't want in on this sweet deal, then leave me be! Anyone who can make cakes and pies that extravagant during war is well off enough to spare at least one cake in my opinion," he cried as he desperately tried to untangle her arms from his. "Besides, the kids at the orphanage would probably love it," he muttered.

Unsure if what he had said was meant for her to hear or not, she stopped struggling with him. Noticing that she wasn't trying to keep him away from his no undoubtedly delicious prizes, Gaius tore his gaze away from the window to see that Sumia was staring at him with curiosity and something else in her eyes that he couldn't wrap his finger around. "Uh, you okay there Stumbles?"

Snapping out of it, she nodded her head and smiled at him. "Alright you, how about this? I came into town to buy ingredients for a pie I'm making. Why don't you help me out today, and then you can have all of the _honestly _earned pie you can eat?"

His eyes widened as he considered the offer. "All I can eat, you say? You've got yourself a deal!"

* * *

As they were baking, Sumia studied him. He was completely absorbed in his work and almost nothing could break his concentration. She sensed that this was not the first time that he had made pie, but she did have to stop him from dumping a whole sack of sugar into the mixture once or five times. "Sorry about that, Stumbles. I guess not everyone can handle sugar like me," he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

When they had finished, she was left with eleven pies of assorted flavours. They cut into the apple pie first for a taste test. Sumia had no idea what to expect, seeing as Gaius had made that particular pie on his own, but she was pleasantly surprised at how _delicious_ it was. "Gaius, this is amazing! You're a natural at baking," she exclaimed as she shoveled the rest into her mouth and cut herself a second slice.

"Thank you, milady," he smirked as he lowered his head in a mock bow. "It actually comes with _a lot_ of practice. It's a necessary skill to learn when you have a sweet tooth like mine to please."

"Well, thanks anyways for helping me today. I have _way_ more than I need, so help yourself to as many as you want," she smiled at him.

"Don't mind if I do," he replied as he scooped up seven of the pies. "These should last me the week," he mumbled. "Thanks Stumbles, catch ya later," he said as he turned around and waved one arm in the air.

* * *

Remembering what he said earlier in the day, Sumia's nosy side convinced her to pay the orphanage a visit however, upon arriving, she didn't spot him anywhere. _Maybe I heard him wrong_, she shrugged as she offered to help the head matron. She played with the orphans, who immediately took a liking to her, until she heard a high pitched squeal. "Gaius is back! Gaius is back!" Popping her head up, she whipped her head back and forth and dove into a nearby closet, tripping on at least five toys in her haste.

"Hey kids," Gaius smiled as he ruffled the hair of one little boy. "Guess what I've got for you," he said as he pulled out a box.

"Is it candy?" one girl asked as they all bounced around him, completely forgetting about Sumia for the moment.

"Not quite," he chuckled as he set the box down. "I brought you guys the best pie in all of Ylisse. I would know, because I've had a taste of all of them and nothing holds a candle to these babies." Upon hearing his high praises, Sumia's face began to heat up as she realized that he had brought them the pies that they had made together.

"Yay!" the little ones cheered as he began to unpack them one by one. In total, he had brought five of the seven pies that he took from her earlier. Judging by the crumbs on his cloak that she could see through the crack in the wall, he probably already ate one earlier.

"This one is my absolute _favourite,_ but I'll let you guys have it. Besides, I have a second one all for _myself_ at home," Gaius teased as he pointed at the one in the middle.

Peering through the crack, Sumia saw that he was pointing at her crowberry pie. _Oh my, it's his _favourite_?_ she smiled to herself as she planned to make more of that particular pie in the future. _He really is a complicated guy. He's so fierce on the battlefield but he has this sweet side of him too_, she thought as her heart warmed at the sight of him playing with the children.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this chapter ^^ I know I liked writing Gaius with the kids, but poor Sumia is stuck on that closet until he leaves ^^;**

**I got the idea of Gaius adding too much sugar in the pie from one of his supports with Olivia and I could just see him adding the whole bag of sugar in lol**

**Until next time~**


	3. Making History

**Alright, here's chapter three!**

**Thank you so much to user Strawberry Eggs for the helpful reviews ^^ I'm glad you think my Gaius and Sumia are in character. It's easier for me to write Sumia because I can relate more to her while Gaius is a bit trickier. If most chapters are mainly Sumia-focused then it really isn't intentional on my part lol. Please keep reviewing, it's really helpful!**

**She also pointed out something I forgot to mention: these chapters won't be in chronological order. I mean maybe some will be, but I'm really just following a prompt list and letting my mind come up with the story as I go.**

**Anyways, happy reading!**

* * *

Sumia was deep in thought as she pushed aside the flaps of her tent and slipped inside. Gaius, who was relaxing with his hands behind his head on their shared cot, lazily shifted his gaze towards his wife. Noticing the distress on her face, he immediately sat up. "What's wrong, honeybuns?"

"Oh, Gaius. I didn't know you were back from training with the others already. Nothing's wrong, silly," she managed a weak smile, but the thief saw right through her.

"Uh-uh, not gonna cut it, sweetheart," he shook his head. "Lying was never your forte and I know you well enough to know when something's up. Now come sit with your stud muffin and tell me what's up," he said as he spread his arms apart and motioned for her to join him on the cot.

Sumia sighed as she dragged herself into his embrace, the day's events weighed heavily on her mind. Feeling Gaius's arms encircle her waist, her body instantly relaxed and gave in to him. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she breathed in his sweet scent and thought back to her conversation with their daughter. "I had a little chat with Cynthia today."

"Hmm," she felt his hum reverberate through his chest as he stroked her hair.

"It seemed like she was intimidated by me at first," at this Gaius stopped playing with her hair and looked down at her. How could anyone be intimidated by his sweet wife? If anything, she was one of the least threatening of the Shepherds at first glance. "She wanted me to treat her like any other soldier. She didn't even want me to think of her as a friend, let alone our daughter!"

"That's… odd. Maybe you were _really_ different in her future?"

"That's just it! I don't think that I spent any time with her at all in the future. All she knows of me are the legends and stories that she had heard from other people… What kind of mother was I to her?" Sumia lowered her gaze to her lap forlornly.

Noticing the change in her attitude, Gaius pulled her into his lap and cradled her to his chest. "You were probably just trying to make sure she would be safe, even if it meant you wouldn't be there for her physically."

"I know, but the '_legends'_ that she was told… they were a little bit concerning."

"Really? How so?"

"For one, she said I was known as one of the greatest Pegasus knights in history," she grumbled.

He chuckled lowly in her ear. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that something like that is an achievement to be proud of."

"But look at me! I can't walk across camp without causing some sort of accident along the way. You've even had to carry me a few times!"

"Aw, Stumbles," she cringed at her old nickname, but he clutched her tighter to him. "You're still young, I'm sure there will be plenty of time for you to build up your reputation. I'd wager one of your crowberry pies and at least three peach tarts that the legends of the future don't expect you to be the greatest Pegasus knight of our time in a fortnight."

"I suppose you're right… But she told me of other legends that made me sound like I was crazy!" she unwound her arms from around his waist and used her hands to emphasize her point. "She said I went into a _blood frenzy_!" she exclaimed. He looked down at her with confusion written across his face. "I downed friends and foes alike!" she sat up and was so distraught by her next thought that she didn't even feel the top of her head connect with Gaius's chin, or hear his pained groan as he fell backwards onto the cot. "What if I downed _you_ in one of those battles?! What if _I'm_ the real reason that Cynthia lost her father?! I would never forgive myself!"

Sumia suddenly noticed the absence of his arms and looked behind her. "Gaius?!" she stood up and looked down at him. His arms were splayed out to the sides, there was a thin line of blood trickling out of his nose and she could tell that he had the signs of a bruise beginning to form under his chin. "Gaius are you alright, what happened?! Oh gods, I headbutted you again, didn't I?!" she internally cursed her Iron Skull once again when she realized that she had done what she had just been worrying her future self might have done. "Naga, I've downed my own husband!" she yelped and was about to run and get a healer when she felt his hand grasp her wrist.

"Calm down, will you? I'm not going down that easily. At least, not again," he mumbled the last part to himself, wiping the blood from his nose. "Now c'mere," pulling her back into his arms, he sat her down and looked her straight in the eyes. "Listen to me. I'm sure that the future you was just doing what she thought was best for Cynthia, just like I know you would do for her right now. I've done my fair share of storytelling to know that legends and stories are never told the same way twice. Someone's always messin' something up somewhere down the line, so who knows if what she heard was true or not. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't off me on purpose; you love me waaaay too much to do that," he said, lightening his tone by the end of his little speech and flashing her a smirk.

"You're right, I'm being silly," she giggled as she stroked the hair out of his face lovingly.

"That's my girl," he grinned. "And hey, if you're still worried about making history, you _could_ be known for being the sexiest Pegasus knight around, no offense to Cordelia or anything," her eyes widened at his boldness. "If that's not settling with you, how about the Pegasus knight with the most kids? I'll help you out with that one right now," he murmured into her ear suggestively. "I wouldn't mind a big family."

Feeling her face burning hotter than ever, she squealed as his lips trailed down her neck. "Gaius!" Eventually she relaxed against him once more and melted into his embrace. "I don't think I'll ever get used to your teasing, no matter how long we're together. Strangely enough, I can't find it in me to care," she sighed happily.

"Good, because I promised you a lifetime of happiness together and if you got used to me too soon, I'd be afraid of you getting bored with me. How would I ever fit the bill then?"

"Oh, Gaius," she looked at him seriously. "That will _never_ happen, never. Not for as long as I live," she smiled as his lips found hers. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sumia. To the end of our days."

* * *

**Sorry if either of them felt OOC, I just kinda let the words flow lol. I spent more time than usual reading this one over because I felt the last chapter was a little bit lacking. Hopefully this chapter is better! Besides, I would think that married life would have some sort of affect on them lol. **

**Inspiration for this chapter came from Sumia and Cynthia's C-support so if the wording sounded familiar, I modeled it from their conversation. I don't usually outline what I plan to write beforehand, so all I had was that idea in mind and the end being Gaius's pervy line about going down in history with the biggest family ^^**

**As always, read and review! They really help out, and bring a smile to my face (as lame as that sounds).**


	4. Unbreakable

**Hello all! I'm finally getting around to updating this fic. Taking nursing isn't exactly a walk in the park and I managed to get a job as a waitress for a short time, so I've been pretty busy this semester. Now that I'm on break, I went back and found that I had written half of this chapter a few months ago and kind of just forgot about it. ****To those that have been following and patiently waiting on this story, I'm sorry for the long wait, and if you're still interested in it, then thank you! **

**I liked how this chapter came out and I spent a while going over it to make it just right so I hope you guys will like it too! This will be further into their relationship during their S-rank support so I would imagine that they would be totally comfortable with each other at this point.**

* * *

Sumia gasped when Gaius revealed the ring to her. He avoided her gaze as he struggled with his words. "I-I know it's not the fanciest ring. It's actually far from it and _far_ less than what you deserve… I also know that you should be with a better man than me. I'm just too damn selfish, or maybe just too stupid, to let you go" at this point, he was fidgeting as his cheeks warmed. "Look, I know I can't compete with Blue, and I don't want to pressure you into accepting my feelings, but I just wanted you to know that… I love you." Finally, he shifted his gaze to look into her eyes, but was startled when he saw her tears.

"Oh, Gaius…" she mumbled behind her hands.

"C-crivens, you're crying… Look I told you, you don't have to feel obligated to accept. Just say the words and we'll forget that this ever happened," his eyes darted in every direction to avoid her gaze as he pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and began to fumble with the wrapper.

"No wait, Gaius—"

"It's okay, really. I wasn't really expecting you to feel the same way. I mean, I've seen the way you look at Chrom. You could be _queen_ if he would just notice what he has in front of him," the candy fell to the floor and he huffed in exasperation as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Gaius—"

"I'll just go, thanks for the cake though…" he turned to walk away when a rock hit him right on the forehead. "What the—"

"Idiot! Have you seen the way she looks at _you!_ Just listen to her!" Gaius and Sumia whipped around to see a red-faced Lissa, who had been listening outside of the kitchen tent. Her outburst had startled a few passing soldiers, drawing unwanted attention much to the couple's dismay.

"What are ya doin' here, dammit?! This was supposed to be private!" Gaius yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde. "Didn't they teach you not to eavesdrop in princess school?!"

"If I didn't interrupt, who would be here to stop you from being such an IDIO- Hey!" Lissa was about to charge into the tent, but was seized by the arm. Robin poked her head around the tent flap, glared at the younger girl, and flashed an apologetic smile to the couple, all while struggling to drag her future sister-in-law away.

"Sorry, won't happen again! Come along everyone, nothing to see here" she called as she pushed the princess back towards camp. The whining finally faded away and Gaius sighed in annoyance.

"Those idiots…" Gaius grumbled to himself before he felt a hand slip into his. Looking to his side, he saw Sumia smiling at him with big watery eyes.

"You're the idiot," she grinned. "And if this ring means what I think it does, then I'd be happy to spend the rest of our lives proving that I love _you_, not anyone else."

He stared at her in shock for a few minutes before he snapped out of it and swept her up in a kiss. "Are you sure? You deserve the world and once the war is over, all I can offer you is my love and devotion. You would be shamed by your family and friends for marrying a thief, no matter how hard I try to win them over… would you really give up the life you had just to be with me?" he almost regretted the words as soon as he said them in case they opened her eyes and caused her to change her mind. He searched her eyes for any signs of doubt, but there was none to be found.

"Gaius, I love you and I will never be ashamed of that. I promise you that nothing will change the way I feel about you," she brushed some stray hair away from his eyes. "Besides, you're not defined by your past. You're a Shepherd now, and my hero." His eyes widened in shock before he leaned into her once again.

After breaking away, he reached into his pocket and pulled the ring out. "I love you Sumia. Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She managed in between kisses. She offered her hand as he slid the ring onto her finger.

"I think you've just made me the happiest man alive," he murmured against her lips.

She admired the ring as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's beautiful. Where did you find something like this?"

"You don't have to be so nice about you know," he chuckled. "It's worth a lot in sentimental value. I made it myself out of the strongest materials I could find. It's just about unbreakable, just like—" he caught himself before he could embarrass himself further. "Let's dig into this cake! It looks positively delicious! Time to celebrate!" he avoided her eyes as he set the cake down and scrounged around for something to cut it with.

"Wait Gaius, what were you going to say? You can tell me," she gently caught his hand, stilling his movements that had become increasingly jerky when he realized she had been watching him. He stared at their intertwined fingers for a moment, lingering on the ring that now bound them together, before slowly raising his gaze to meet hers. The look of absolute love and adoration on her face shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did and he suddenly felt guilty for doubting his place in her heart.

He cleared his throat before continuing where he left off. "I was going to say that… the ring should be damn near unbreakable just like," he took a deep breath as he felt the flush creep up the back of his neck. Looking into her eyes again, he felt a comforting feeling of warmth, safety, and acceptance spread throughout the rest of his body. He realized then that this was where he wanted to be; by her side for the rest of his life. "Unbreakable… just like the bonds between us," he finished softly as he gathered her into his arms. He was home.

* * *

**I feel like I'm a little bit rusty at writing them again since it's been so long, but I think I should be able to get back into it. Let me know if you liked it! Merry Christmas, and happy holidays!**


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